


Dark Carnival

by verhalen



Series: Corn Of Eternity [6]
Category: Flameborn (Multiverse), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe, Carnival, Crack Treated Seriously, Elves Reborn As Mortal, Gen, Indiana, Magical Realism, Modern Era, Multi, Past Abuse, Past Infidelity, Polyamory, Spoopy Rides, The Force, Today I Learned: French Edition, Urban Fantasy, Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe, Zero fucks given
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:49:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29900658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verhalen/pseuds/verhalen
Summary: While visiting his best friend Yeyette in Indiana, Sören and his partners go with Yeyette and her partners to a carnival. Sören encounters an unpleasant reminder of his past.
Series: Corn Of Eternity [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1973479
Kudos: 4





	Dark Carnival

**Author's Note:**

  * For [detergent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/detergent/gifts).



> This story may read more like original fiction rather than anything Tolkien-related unless you are familiar with previous works in my multiverse featuring these characters.
> 
> This story may also make more sense if you've read [_Old Town Road_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28059411) first.
> 
> The Corn of Eternity verse is part of the Flameborn multiverse; as you know, some things are consistent across the multiverse while other things change in different universes.
> 
> ~ ~ ~
> 
> Sören Sigurðsson and Anthony Hewlett-Johnson are my OMCs. Please refer to my [Transformative Works Statement](https://verhalen.dreamwidth.org/263827.html) for more information.
> 
> Nicholas Decaux is an OMC inspired by Dooku from Star Wars.
> 
> Yeyette, DeKalb and Victor are [Detergent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/detergent/pseuds/detergent)'s OCs, borrowed with permission (she is a co-creator on this series).
> 
> Larry is a co-creation of Detergent and myself.

It was August tenth, a hot and muggy Saturday afternoon. Sören, Nicholas and Anthony were in a queue with Yeyette, Victor and DeKalb, waiting to buy admission tickets to the carnival. Back when Sören and his partners had arrived in July and Sören had asked about local cuisine, he'd been told the carnival was the best place to try a pork tenderloin sandwich. But it had taken this long for Yeyette to get enough time off from her job at the hospital, where she worked as a toxicologist. Everyone wanted to make sure Yeyette had a full day to rest before taking a day for the carnival, and two days off in a row was easier said than done.  
  
Now they were here, though, and Sören was in good spirits despite wilting a bit in the oppressive heat. Carnivals still left a bit of a bad taste in his mouth because his ex Juniper worked at one - that was in fact how they'd met a few years ago - but he also felt this was a prime opportunity to reclaim his enjoyment.  
  
And it was more enjoyable with friends, and his very British partners, who were still somewhat bemused by American culture. Right ahead of them in the queue was a man wearing a black T-shirt with a bald eagle flying in front of an American flag, and on the back of his shirt it read GOD, GUNS AND GUTS MADE AMERICA, LET'S KEEP ALL THREE. Anthony had been smirking and Sören knew he was trying very hard not to comment, but finally he said, "Guts, eh? I'm just... picturing... disemboweled intestines... waving a flag, marching."  
  
"This is America, were they barbecued?" Nicholas raised an eyebrow.  
  
"That's a great mental image when I'm about to eat pork," Sören said; he was a surgeon and had seen his fair share of grisly scenes.  
  
"I'm sorry," Nicholas said in a tone of voice that let Sören know he really wasn't.  
  
 _It's OK, I'll get you later._  
  
The man ahead of them was now getting his tickets, and enough out of earshot that DeKalb snorted and muttered, "I bet that guy never put on a uniform in his life. Gettin' real tired of so-called 'patriots' who think they can impose their religious dogma and don't understand we fought to be free of that shit."  
  
"DeKalb," Yeyette said, putting a hand on his arm, "which ride would you like to go on first?"  
  
Sören could tell she was distracting him from going on a rant that would probably be heard by the wrong person; they didn't need an altercation. DeKalb stroked his chin and looked around at the rides closest to the queue - bumper cars, a Starship Gravitron, or the Space Shot.  
  
"I say we do the Space Shot and the Gravitron first, then the bumper cars as a break before more wild rides." DeKalb grinned.  
  
The entire carnival was space-themed - the ticket barker was dressed up like an alien, wearing a shiny silver jumpsuit and a grey bug-eyed mask. Sören felt sorry for them, having to wear that in this heat. "Make sure you stay hydrated," he reminded the barker as he got his ticket.  
  
"Bleep blorp," the barker said.  
  
Once they got their tickets, they headed right for the Space Shot, which was several meters across from the entrance. Sören wasn't a fan of elevators, as he had claustrophobia, but he decided to go up in the Space Shot anyway, and it was big enough to take twelve passengers at a time so it wasn't terribly confining. The Space Shot quickly took them up a hundred feet, then dropped them down. All the blood went to Sören's head, and Anthony and Nicholas each took one of his hands. It was over quickly, and when Sören staggered out of the ride, his head spinning, Anthony got to him first and put an arm around him, steadying him.  
  
"There, you did it." Anthony kissed his cheek.  
  
"Indeed." Nicholas tousled Sören's curls. "Good boy."  
  
Sören managed a smile; he loved it when Nicholas called him that.  
  
Sören had never been on a Gravitron before, and he thought that it would probably be better than the Space Shot just by virtue of it not being an elevator. He was wrong. When the Gravitron tilted and spun, Sören felt like he was going to pass out. He heard himself screaming and he was almost embarrassed, except that other people were screaming. He was still shaking like a leaf when the ride was over and people were getting off; Anthony and Nicholas had to help him out.  
  
"I didn't care for that much myself," Nicholas said, making a face. "I think I shall abstain from the other rides."  
  
The bumper cars were a good break between the Gravitron and other rides. In keeping with the space theme of the carnival, each car was designed like something out of _The Jetsons_ , a little personal spaceship. Each one could seat two people. Nicholas and Victor both opted out, like it was an affront to their dignity. Sören and Anthony got in one car, and Yeyette and DeKalb in the other. Anthony drove their car, and they raced madly, crashing into each other harder and harder. They decided to go for a second round, and now Sören and Yeyette shared one car, and Anthony and DeKalb the other. Yeyette drove, and the second time was even more fun, with Yeyette and DeKalb seeing who could go faster, trying to punt the other car out of the way.  
  
After the bumper cars they came to a food cart, one of several around the fairgrounds. This food cart didn't have pork tenderloin sandwiches but it did have hot dogs, pretzels, popcorn, and cotton candy. Sören decided on a pretzel and cotton candy. He wasn't the only one to get a snack, but he was the only one to get cotton candy. He knew he was making a mess, like a little kid, but he didn't care.  
  
"Hey, Sören," Yeyette said, "did I ever tell you what the French call cotton candy?"  
  
Sören shook his head.  
  
" _Barbe à papa._ It literally translates as 'Daddy's beard.'" Yeyette gave a wicked smile.  
  
Sören's cheeks burned as he looked over at Nicholas, and back at the cotton candy. "Wow," Sören said, and took another bite. "No wonder I like it so much."  
  
Now Nicholas was pink too. Anthony snickered. Victor looked mildly amused and DeKalb looked just a little uncomfortable.  
  
Feeling mischievous, Sören batted his eyes at Nicholas and offered the cotton candy.  
  
"As you know, I shan't eat that," Nicholas said, giving a disapproving look.  
  
"Just as well." Sören took another bite. "That would be, like, cannibalism." _I told you I would get you later._  
  
The next set of rides were somewhat more tame. There was Space Pirate Ship, where the ride operator was dressed like an outer space version of a pirate, and the ship was styled after a traditional ship but done up with metallic paint and alien script and flashing lights. That particular ride was less wild, swinging high in one direction, then the other, back and forth for a few turns. Then they came to Shoot the Chute, a water ride with a "water planet" theme, full of alien-looking vegetation and fish props. Sören liked the water slide and wanted to do it again. The second time Nicholas broke his "no more rides" rule and went down on the "spaceraft" too.  
  
Near Shoot the Chute was Space Octopus, where the tentacles writhed, shaking and spinning the riders this way and that. Sören felt like his brains had been scrambled again and he was grateful for another break between rides. The next food cart they encountered did in fact have pork tenderloin sandwiches, as well as fried chicken and fried dough.  
  
Sören thought the pork tenderloin sandwich was pretty good - not something he could eat every day if he wanted to stay healthy, but something he wouldn't mind eating again. But despite his enjoyment of the sandwich, he still felt a bit shaken up. He would have chalked it up to the heat and the rides, but it felt like more than that. He felt almost like time was slightly "off" and he was hearing and seeing things one second later than they were actually happening. There was a creepiness he couldn't quite explain, like the feeling of being watched, but no one was watching them. He decided to say nothing, in case anybody thought that meant he needed to go back; he didn't want to ruin the day.  
  
He did, however, suggest they take a little more of a break before the next round of crazy rides. That turned out to be just as well, because they were coming towards a ring toss, and DeKalb decided he wanted to win a stuffed animal for Yeyette.  
  
"Those things are rigged," Sören informed him.  
  
DeKalb just smiled, and sure enough, he ended up winning the ring toss and Yeyette was presented with a giant blue bunny with alien antennae. Yeyette gave it to Sören. "Here, I know you collect stuffed animals."  
  
Sören frowned - just for once he wished Yeyette could accept a gift from someone else - but he accepted the bunny with a thanks. DeKalb wanted to do another game, but the ring toss attendant declared he was going on lunch break and walked away with a huff.  
  
Sören wanted to go on the merry-go-round, like a big kid. He was tickled by the carousel animals being "outer space" interpretations of the usual, like unicorns painted with nebulas, turtles with crystalline shells, neon roosters with tentacle combs. Sören rode a pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail, and waved at Nicholas holding the giant bunny. Anthony was the only one of the group who joined him, riding a tie-dye frog with glowing eyes.  
  
While Sören liked the merry-go-round, that strange, disoriented feeling came back when the carousel ride had finished. His heart started to beat a little faster as they made their way towards the house of mirrors. Before he could stop himself, Sören blurted out, "I don't want to go in there."  
  
Sören immediately covered his mouth, feeling like he'd put his foot in it, like he was being too much of a baby, but to his relief Yeyette said, "I don't want to go in there, either. I don't know why, but it... gives me bad vibes."  
  
"Me too," Victor said quietly.  
  
Sören looked at Yeyette, then at Victor - both relieved that he wasn't the only one who felt that way, and yet that also made him more unsettled. If it wasn't just him, what was going on?  
  
"Do we want to head home, or do we want to do one more ride?" DeKalb asked.  
  
"I feel like since Yeyette went to the trouble of arranging two days off in a row, we should get our time's worth and do one more ride," Sören said quickly, feeling a bit guilty that he was weirded out.  
  
"The Screamer, or... the House of Darkness?" DeKalb looked from the rollercoaster, to what appeared to be a tunnel ride.  
  
"House of Darkness," Sören and Yeyette said at the same time.  
  
They weren't the only ones who had that idea - Sören was surprised that the tunnel ride had a longer queue than the rollercoaster. He tried to calm his nerves, but his heart started beating faster again, and as they came closer to the front of the queue, Sören heard the ride operator before he saw him and...  
  
"Thou didn't readeth the sign! Thou musteth be this tall to rideth the ride! Wherefore art thy parents?"  
  
Sören was torn between wanting to laugh his ass off, and wanting to run away as quickly as possible. _That_ could only be one person, and sure enough, Sören got a look and it was exactly who he thought it was.  
  
Larry Hilter was someone who worked at the carnival where Juniper had been employed, and was according to Juniper "just a friend" - and of course they weren't; Sören caught them in the act one day. Larry had short black hair, and with his thin nose and high cheekbones, bore a striking resemblance to Michael Jackson, right down to being unnaturally pale - more remarkable for having lived in Florida - and today he was overdressed for the heat, wearing a long brown overcoat that made Sören think of Captain Mal from _Firefly_ , which was probably intentional given the space theme of the carnival but still seemed out of place compared to the other ride operators and booth attendants. But then, Larry always had to be _different_... right down to lecturing kids who couldn't have been more than seven or eight, in mangled Shakespearean English. It had added insult to injury for Juniper to cheat on Sören with _that_ , someone who thought he sounded classy and refined and was just ridiculous.  
  
Sören was having second thoughts about the ride. Before he could say anything, Larry met his eyes. Sören's heart skipped a beat. _Oh shit, he sees me._  
  
When it was their turn in the queue, Sören's hopes that Larry would just let it go were dashed. "Salutations, Sören," Larry said. "How artest thou? Enjoyingeth the carnival, I hopeth?"  
  
Sören fought the urge to punch Larry in the face just for existing. His mind's eye replayed catching Juniper and Larry in bed - and they weren't alone - and the way Juniper had made him feel like a fool, spending more and more time with Larry in the weeks and months beforehand, claiming it was "innocent". Now Larry had the nerve to look at him like he was something foul, just crawled in from the garbage. _How dare you._  
  
Sören set his jaw and squared his shoulders. "Probably enjoying it a lot more than you are." He knew from the few conversations he'd had with Larry back in Florida that Larry hated his job and saw it as being "beneath" him, but his father owned the carnival and he didn't want to disappoint his father. Sören wondered now if this was Larry's father's carnival, or if Larry had quit that carnival and taken up with another. He knew enough about carnival culture to know carnies tended to stay carnies.  
  
He wondered if Juniper was around. That thought sickened him.  
  
"Someone you know, Sören?" Anthony asked, giving Larry a stern look.  
  
Sören nodded. "This is Larry, Anthony."  
  
Anthony's eyebrows shot up - Sören had told Anthony and Nicholas the horror story; it was how he'd ended up leaving Florida for the UK. Before Anthony could say or do anything in response, Victor stepped forward to check his ticket and drawled, "What a _quaint_ manner of speaking."  
  
Larry looked like that remark had personally offended him. "Here artest thy ticket," he said in a flat tone of voice.  
  
Anthony and Nicholas glared daggers in Larry's direction as they headed to board the ride. Sören was aware of being marched forward by his partners, but he was starting to feel like he was dissociating, like he was right back in Florida and confronting Juniper all over again. Then the destruction of his property, the realization that Juniper was even more unhinged than he thought she was, the fear and heartbreak as he boarded a one-way flight to London.  
  
Each car on the House of Darkness ride sat three. Sören sat between Anthony and Nicholas, who were snuggling him now. The pit of Sören's stomach rose as the chamber dimmed and Larry's voice came over a speaker. "I bid thee welcome to the House of Darkness. I am the Prince of Darkness, and I wilt taketh thee on a ride like nay other. Art thou ready?"  
  
"Oh, Jesus Bloody _Christ_ ," Anthony said under his breath, rolling his eyes.  
  
That reaction _almost_ made Sören smile. Almost.  
  
The cars began to move forward. Larry's voice boomed, "Thou approacheth the eldritch portal. Whomst knoweth what manner of creature shalt cometh from another dimension..."  
  
"Perhaps one who does not butcher the English language," Nicholas quipped. Sören snorted.  
  
 _I love you, you know,_ Sören spoke into Nicholas's mind.  
  
Nicholas patted him. _I love you too._  
  
The cars accelerated. They started to whoosh down a slope. Smoke surrounded them, and strobe lights. Eerie shapes formed on the wall, with high-pitched screeching noises and deep moans. Even though it was cheesy special effects not even worthy of a B-movie, Sören still felt his skin crawl, the anxiety intensifying as they rounded a corner and the turn seemed to go on forever, the cars leaning to one side. They went up a slope and came down, with more strobe lights and smoke, and now things were flying at them, like fake bats, and on either side of the track tentacles squirmed, trying to grab at them. One of the tentacles leapt into Sören's face and opened a mouth full of teeth, with a hiss, and Sören screamed. Anthony swatted it out of the way and put an arm in front of Sören, shielding him, as they went up another slope and down. There was another round of strobe lights, horrible noises, and tiny winged things flying at them. Then fake snakes dropped down from the ceiling and all over the passengers. Sören screamed again, trying to get the rubbery, wiggling creatures off of him as quickly as possible - he knew they were just props but he still had a visceral panic reaction.  
  
The cars rounded another curve, going up a slope then down, and at the end of the track there were fake skulls and bones strewn about, leathery and gelatinous chunks of rubber made to resemble pieces of rotting flesh. In a green glow, three mirrors showed just Larry's face through a cloud of fog. "Thou hast survived the House of Darkness. Well doneth. But wilt thou surviveth the return to thine own dimension?"  
  
With that, the cars began to go backwards, even faster than they had rode forwards. Sören felt ready to vomit when the cars rounded the curve. The strobe lights kept going, with that awful screeching and moaning. The cars continued to hurtle back until they came to the beginning of the track, and then, mercifully, the ride was over. Sören's legs were like jelly when he got out of the car, and he almost fell over, with Nicholas and Anthony both steadying him.  
  
"That was lame," DeKalb said when they made their way out. "Excuse me - lameth."  
  
"Indeedeth," Nicholas said.  
  
"Ouieth," Victor said.  
  
Sören and Yeyette looked at each other and cracked up laughing, doubling over, tearing up. That was _exactly_ what Sören needed after that experience. It felt good to laugh.  
  
It felt even better to leave. He breathed a small sigh of relief as they started to head towards the exit of the carnival.  
  
Just before they left, they stopped at another food cart and Yeyette treated Sören to a soft-serve ice cream cone, as if she knew seeing Larry had shaken him up. Once they were in the SUV and pulling out of the parking lot, as Sören was finishing up his cone, Yeyette glanced over her shoulder from the passenger's seat. _Penny for your thoughts._  
  
 _Oh. Well, you know. Seeing Larry wasn't exactly welcome._  
  
Yeyette pursed her lips. _You don't think Juniper..._  
  
Sören shook his head. He was afraid of that, but he knew logically it was unlikely. That would be a very big coincidence, if it was Larry's father's carnival and Juniper was still employed there and hadn't moved on. Even if she was working there... the odds of seeing her again were slim.  
  
But, Sören still felt uneasy on the way home. He tried to get his mind off it, but that was hard to do when Larry had been directly involved with a source of trauma in his life. Seeing Larry again after years had ripped open an old wound.  
  
Sören took a hot bath that night, pampering himself with lavender bubbles, trying to self-soothe. His cell phone went off as he bathed, but he made himself wait to answer it, wanting to relax as fully as possible. When he was finally done with the bath, he saw he'd gotten a text from Serena, his girlfriend.  
  
 _I got my schedule! I have a block of time September 6 - 8._  
  
Sören texted back. _So one of those three days, then?_  
  
 _Yes!_  
  
Sören smiled. _That_ was good news. He was starting to worry that he wasn't going to meet Serena at all while he was out here, since he was set to go back at the end of September and Serena had kept going on about how hard it was for her to schedule time off. He needed to keep moving forward from Juniper, and seeing Serena would help with that.  
  
 _From a house of darkness to a house of light._


End file.
